When a male is in his early twenties, it's easy to take peak sexual performance for granted. Yet as time passes, the male body's biological system changes, and he may notice that his sexual stamina, performance and even pleasure begin to decrease. Getting “in the mood” may start to take a little effort.
Many women have problems with sex when they reach menopause and their ovaries produce smaller amounts of sex hormones. Lower levels of estrogen can make the vaginal tissue dry, and less androgen leads to less sexual desire and arousal.
One important difference affecting sexual desire is that men have levels of testosterone that are 20 to 30 times what women have. Men's testosterone levels gradually decline over time but they do not experience a drop-off as women do at menopause. In men and women, testosterone and other androgens work to increase desire.
Androgen gels and patches for women are being considered for women with sexual dysfunction. Another possibility to overcome the female androgen deficiency syndrome is to supply women with 50 mg dehydroepiandrosterone per day, which facilitates the enhanced production of testosterone, dehydrotestosterone, androstenedione and androstenediol. That improved female androgenic profile causes intense sexual thoughts and a general enhancement in mental and physical sexual arousal (Spark, R. F., 2002; Hackbert, L. and Heiman J. R., 2002).
To increase blood flow in the female genital tissue is also useful to improve sexual wellness. The New York Times on Mar. 25, 2003 published an article entitled “Effort to Make Sex Drug for Women Challenges Experts”. According to the article, researchers found that women's sex organs are not as readily affected as men's by sildenafil, which is the active ingredient of a drug sold under the trademark VIAGRA®. Blocking the same enzyme in women that normally inhibits blood flow does not increase circulation to genital tissue so drastically as in men for causing engorgement of erectile tissue. Studies suggest that sildenafil alone does not fix female arousal problems. However, when taken together with supplemental hormones, at least one study showed that 57 percent of 202 postmenopausal women involved in a study reported improved genital sensations, compared with 43 percent of a placebo group. Forty-one percent of the sildenafil group members reported greater satisfaction with sex, compared with 27 percent in the placebo group. Although the differences between the two groups were modest, the study suggests that sildenafil could help women with healthy hormone levels and in happy relationships. Nevertheless sildenafil is a medicament that needs a strict prescription since the side effects are numerous.
One may surmise that female sexual function is accomplished physiologically in a similar manner like in man in a way that cGMP triggers lubrication and engorgement of the clitoral tissue. The studies mentioned in the previously mentioned article suggest the possibility that when women have a healthy hormone level, such dietary supplements may help improve sexual function in women to some extent. Another way to increase the blood flow into the female or male sexual organs is to increase the production of nitric oxide, which in turn triggers the release of cGMP. Whereas sildenafil and related substances lead to a sustained increase of blood content of the male or female sexual organs by blocking the enzymatic destruction of the vasodilating cGMP, nitric oxide produces the same increased blood volume by enhancing the production of cGMP. As a physiological source for nitric oxide production, the aminoacid L-arginine is used.
The enzyme endothelial nitric oxide synthase produces nitric oxide from L-arginine. To provide an enhanced and sustained blood flow to the sexual organs, it is first of all necessary to supplement the organism with the substrate L-arginine in sufficient quantities. However, the presence of high concentrations of L-arginine alone does not lead to a substantial higher blood flow to the sexual organs. It is necessary to stimulate additionally the endothelial nitric oxide synthase, so that nitric oxide production from L-arginine is catalyzed by the active enzyme. A potent stimulator of endothelial nitric oxide synthase is a proanthocyanidins-containing extract.
Proanthocyanidins represent a group of plant polyphenols found in roots, barks and fruits with an astringent taste. Proanthocyanidins include the subgroups of procyanidins and prodelphinidins. Proanthocyanidins are biopolymers composed of flavan subunits. Procyanidins are composed of catechin and epicatechin units, also called monomeric procyanidins.
Proanthocyanidins are extracted from plant material by conventional methods using solvents like water, ethanol or acetone or fluid carbon dioxide. The extracts are purified by solvent/solvent extraction, ultra filtration or chromatographic procedures. The purified extracts are concentrated by solvent evaporation, freeze drying or spray drying.
A proanthocyanidin-rich extract from the bark of French maritime pine is distributed under the tradename Pycnogenol® by Horphag Research, Switzerland. The extract contains 70-75% by weight procyanidins and other flavanols such as catechin, epicatechin and taxifolin. Other proanthocyanidins rich extracts can be obtained from grape seeds, cones from cypress trees, cocoa beans or other plant materials. Pycnogenol® pine bark extract has been shown to stimulate endothelial nitric oxide synthase and to induce vasodilation (Fitzpatrick, D. F., Bing, B., Rohdewald, P., 1998).
US 2004137081 A1 (Rohdewald P. et al.) discloses that sexual wellness or sexual fitness is enhanced over time by administrating on a daily basis a source of proanthocyanidins and a source of arginine. Both sources may be blended into a composition or taken separately from a kit. The source of arginine may be a salt or peptide of L-arginine and aspartic acid such as arginine aspartate. The proanthocyanidins stimulate an endothelial NO-synthase enzyme, which serves as a catalyst for synthesis of the nitric oxide from a substration that is the source of the arginine. A sufficient amount of the nitric oxide is released over time to enhance sexual wellness or sexual fitness. In case of low levels of androgenic hormones in both sexes, the combination may contain as a further ingredient a sex hormone or a sex hormone precursor or a sex hormone stimulant or a sex hormone bioavailability enhancer.
WO 2008/115583 A1 (Mini John) uses the principles of traditional Chinese medicine in systematic and non-traditional ways to arrive at balanced formulas that bring about the goals desired in Chinese Medicine without hindering the digestibility of the formulations or taxing the user's organs. For example, the disclosed formulations utilize a number of adaptogenic herbs, traditional medicinal herbs and highly nutritious food substances, which allow the body to assimilate these substances and bring them to where they can best be used to treat the conditions or reduce various the side effects disclosed.
WO 01/91589 A1 (SIGMA TAU HEALTHSCIENCE SPA) discloses a health food/dietary supplement with antioxidant activity, comprising as its characterising components an alkanoyl carnitine and a combination of polyphenols extracted from trees or shrubs.
US 2008305096 A1 (UNICITY INTERNATIONAL INC) discloses a method of providing controlled release of a biologically active substance within a subject's digestive system. The biologically active substance is administered concurrently with one or more soluble fibers in an oral dosage unit. The soluble fibers interact with the biologically active substance within the subject's digestive system to moderate and control the release of the biologically active substances in the subject's bloodstream. This provides more constant blood concentrations of the biologically active substances. The amount of soluble fibers in the oral dosage unit is greater than 40% by weight, and in some cases greater than 50% by weight of the oral dosage unit. The oral dosage unit typically contains from about 1 to 15 g of soluble fiber, and in some cases from about 3 to 5 g of soluble fiber. The biologically active substance may contain phytonutrients that promote the subject's cardiovascular system, immune system, or weight management.
JP 2004269487 A (Efuekuto K K et al.) provides a method in which a high purity proanthocyanidin can be produced by a simple means. This method for producing proanthocyanidin is characterized by extracting it from peanut seeds as it is with water, a water-miscible organic solvent or a mixture thereof. Further this document relates to proanthocyanidin obtained by the method, that having specified physicochemical properties, an extract from peanut seeds having specified physicochemical properties, and a medicinal composition, cosmetic or foodstuffs containing proanthocyanidin or the extract from peanut seeds.
RU 2388811 C2 (OOO TJUMEN) discloses a composition of components for production of medicinal balsam containing, per 1000 dhal of balsam, water pepper (root part)—5 kg. Liquorice (root)—5 kg. Heliotrope (root)—0.5 kg. Common origanum—3 kg. Cloves—3 kg. Cinnamon—2 kg. John's-wort—6 kg. Common cherry (kernel powder)—5 kg. Coriander—3 kg. Corn snouts—0.5 kg. Peppermint—3 kg. Oak sawdust—2 kg. Plantain—2 kg. Artemisia austriaca—3 kg. Hungarian sainfoin (roots and stems)—5 kg. Yarrow—2 kg. Sage—3 kg. Thyme—3 kg. Sorrel—1 kg. Chicory—3 kg. Field eryngo (roots and stems)—5 kg. White cornelian cherry—28 kg. Haw—14 kg. Rosehips—21 kg. Alcoholised cherry plum juice—1000 kg. Alcoholised apple juice—1500 kg. Sugar for syrup—870 kg. Sugar for dye—560 kg. Vanillin—1 kg. Rose tincture—1 l.; Rectified ethyl alcohol in the amount required for a 43% proof and softened water—balance. The balsam alcohol proof (vol) is 43%, total extract is 16.8 g/100 cm3, the balsam has a specific taste, colour and aroma. The composition is used for the improvement of the balsam medicinal properties as a remedy against sexual weakness of men and women that enhances vigour and vitality.
Sexual dysfunction (SD), particularly in postmenopausal, healthy (>55) women, is currently insufficiently understood, partially because of the great difficulty most women have to openly discuss these problems. Sexual dysfunction is suggested to be more common in women (43%) than in men (31%). The incidence and perception of sexual dysfunction are very different considering population type, age, social class, income, education and women's priorities.
The incidence of SD in women increases with age and with the presence of chronic diseases (i.e., diabetes).
Treatment with drugs, such as those used for hypertension and hyperlipidemia, may have negative effects on sexual function and interest. Vaginal dryness is progressively more frequent with age, and vaginal infections are more common with increasing age and in diabetic women. They may cause SD, loss of interest, and difficult or painful intercourse that can be associated with anxiety and fear, contributing to a lack of motivation. In diabetic women, microangiopathy, neuropathy and edema, in association with frequent subclinical or clinical infections, cause mucosal alterations, altered responses to sexual stimulations, and eventually chronic vaginal dryness, which may become a key element in altering sexual life and may lead to sexual dysfunction.
However, these problems may also occur in apparently healthy women. Recent studies have evaluated these problems and possible solutions. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) has been established and utilized in several studies to assess sexual function.
There is still a need for an effective and safe composition for improving sexual fitness or wellness of both sexes, the man sexual enhancement, the treatment of sexual dysfunction.